CANTERBURY MUM BRAVELY TELLS HOW HUSBAND RAPED HER AFTER SHE FILLED OUT DIVORCE PAPERS FOLLOWING YEARS OF ABUSE
A mum-of-five raped by her husband just minutes after filling out divorce papers has bravely told how she found the strength to put him behind bars.The sex attack on Zoe Matthews was the horrific culmination of an eight-year campaign of violence, coercive control and terror inflicted by her partner, Leigh.
During their relationship, the Canterbury mum was strangled unconscious, attacked while holding her baby, dragged down the stairs by her ankles and trapped inside her own home after the windows were screwed shut so she could not escape.
The abuse drove her to the brink of suicide and left her regularly using sunglasses to hide bruises on the school run, determined to conceal what was happening behind closed doors.
Now, with Matthews in prison, the brave 34-year-old has waived her right to anonymity to speak publicly about the ordeal she survived, and the day she knew she had to escape him for good.
It was in April 2016 that the couple met on a dating website and bonded over their shared childhood experiences.
Despite initial appearances of normality, Matthews soon became verbally abusive and escalated to violent acts, including pinning Zoe against the wall by her throat.
They had a child in May 2017 after Matthews' release from jail for breaching a restraining order.
Over the years, Matthews's violence increased, including strangulation, physical assaults, and destruction of property.
On February 10, 2025, Zoe attempted to leave Matthews but was sexually assaulted and raped by him as she filled out divorce papers.
She contacted police afterward, leading to Matthews' arrest and conviction at Canterbury Crown Court for coercive behavior, actual bodily harm, strangulation, sexual assault, assault by penetration, and rape.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with an indefinite sex offenders register and a 10-year restraining order.
Zoe now suffers from PTSD and fears that Matthews, despite his imprisonment, will try to kill her, believing he has expressed intentions to do so.
